Maggie Island

Magnetic Island, well what can i say...perfect paradise. That place has definitely won me over but unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. It really was everything I hoped it would be and more. The jet skiing was scary as, a combination of speed on a little powered motor while knowing that just underneath you could be a box jellyfish or a shark. Suprisingly I was happier on the canoe, which is closer and easier for sharks to attack but the lack of speed meant i was going to fall off. And i got time to see sea turtles, which were just huge. Horse riding was great, met up with another backpacker, Charlotte and we went swimming on the horses in the sea (with stinger suits on mind). I caught my first fish!!! After god knows how long of trying, luck struck, after catching a grunter, three other fish followed, two butter fish and a flat head. All of them tasted great! So i'd survive if i was stuck on an island, so long as i have a rod and some bait. Met some great people and had an awesome time drinking beer under the stars every night. Back to Cairns tomorrow then fly back home.

The wonderful wizard of Oz

And i'm back...those ants will have to bite harder then that to keep me in this place. I'm still not feeling too good, but, being me, i'm bored out of my tiny little mind. Screw the medication, i'd rather have the pain then sleep my holiday away. I feel like i've wasted the last four days, and missed my trip to Sydney :( So with my wits about me now i'm off the killer medication that knocks you out i am outta here. There are a couple of things that are grating on me about the Aussies now and putting me well off them...the racism, the rudeness and on the family side, the control. My god i can't even use the computer without being asked what i'm doing. There's a neat little song i heard about Aussies that springs to mind every now and again - 'get your stars, get your stars, get your stars off our fucking flag' Time to leave Wulguru and head for paradise, which comes in the form of Magnetic Island. White sandy beaches, palm trees...perfect. I'm going there tomorrow, and today, i'm going to Billabong to see some crocs! I've heard there are loads about and last month a young man got eaten by a 5.2 metre long croc, and considering danger always calls me, i'm going to check it out. No point coming to Oz and not seeing a croc. There's a sanctuary where all the man eaters are taken, cause it's illegal to kill a croc here, unless there's a good reason...i think eating someone is a good reason! Think i'll check that out too on the way, i know it's morbid and curiousity killed the cat and everything, but what is life without a few risks eh?
This tiny little stray dog appeared at the front porch yesterday when everyone was at work, and now the little tick infested mongrol wont leave. I feel really sorry for it, cause it's kinda cute, like Tramp off Lady and the Tramp, but it's off to the pound :( I know that if i lived here, that poor little thing would be staying with me, so probably a good job i don't and it's kept the cats away :) Pushka keeps scratching me so i locked her in the basement for a few hours until everyone came back the other day (cruel i know) but that thing is nasty and i was sick of getting me feet scratched whenever i walked.
Well, this will probably be my last post, because after Maggie Island i'll be cruising back to Cairns and in the Barrier Reef, so see you all on the 27th! x

Down under 2

It's been a long few days, have arrived in Wulguru and am doing the family stops, seeing everyone over Easter. They're all very nice, a little loud and brash, but good hearted. The only ones that don't like my presence are the cats, Molly and Pushka, but they could just be sensing that I don't really like cats. Other than those two, everyone has been very welcoming, especially Liz, who is 'mothering' me and has been brilliant, which is a good thing indeed as I'm not well (no suprise there). I knew it would only be a matter of time before something bit or stung me that would be nasty. I thought i was getting away pretty easy on the 'nasties' front. I went swimming in a creek, where there are eels and crocs half a mile up. I wasn't the only one, around afternoon is a fairly safe time to swim and lots of kids and locals were swimming. It's safer swimming in aligator creek than the sea here! I would like to say I was bitten by something cool, but instead i've been got by some ants! I was fishing (caught an eel btw) and found myself attacked by them - and I've definitely come off worse than the ants. These ones (i can't remember their name) are really agressive, more so than the green one i got bitten by last week and are bright red and much bigger. The bites have given me flu like symptons and from my waist down it aches and of course the bites are very sore and itchy. I'm on some sort of tablets/medication that numbs the pain and makes me really drowsy. I am hoping by Thursday i should be back on my feet and will move on from family territory (as much as I like them, I prefer doing my own thing). I will probably have to cut out one of my trips now because of those bloody ants. I only have four more places I want to go...further into the outback, Sydney, Magnetic Island, and the Great Barrier Reef again, but until I feel better i wont be going anywhere :( In fact, I'm fairly impressed that I wrote this without falling asleep and i think i've spelt everything right.

Down under

I've seen loads of spiders now! Golden orbs mostly. Got bitten as well by a green tree ant, otherwise known as the acid ant. It does what it says on the tin - its bite burns your skin like acid, and now i have a nice thing on my leg which hurts more than anything i've felt before.
Went into the rainforest yesterday...wow is all i can say. I walked around the tracks (you'd have to be pretty stupid to walk off the tracks) and met some aboriginals. I took the skyline back to the town and saw lots of parrots and insects. The food here is amazing, the nicest food i've tasted anywhere. They have traffic lights which sound like pacman! and all cars turning left don't have to stop at traffic lights cause they have right of way, so crossing the road feels like pac man! I heard the best advert on the tram yesterday too...'my man is a 2min man and i hate it, i want to trade him in for a new man.' 'You're lucky, my man is a 1.30 man, but i've found something to help.... if you're man has premature ejactuculation... bla bla bla' Well. i thought it was funny, i actually laughed out loud!

I have left Cairns and have headed down South, i want to go back to Cairns for a couple of days before i leave still. I went through the tablelands, which is a rish outback, it looks like Wales! The tableslands is where a lot of fruit and coffee is grown and dairy herds. I visited a palace near Atherton, it has a sad story behind it, like most beautiful palaces do....it was built by a man here for his Italian sweetheart, it took him 5 years to build and when he went to Italy to bring her over he found that she had married another man, so he married her (ugly) sister instead. The palace is mostly fallen down now, but still quite a sight.
I arrived in Townsville yesteday, it looks similar to America, but a lot more dated. it's quite an easy base for me so i can get to other places easily. I'm going to Billabong tomorrow to see some crocs and Magentic island for a few days to go jet skiing, walking and horse riding. it's like a tropical island with white sand and palm trees, should be a nice little paradise for me to catch some rays and chill out with the sea turtles. Next week i'll head to Sydney and the Blue Mountains and catch up with my cuz. In the meantime i'm going fishing today, Barramundi are supposidly easy to catch, which is what a beginner like me needs and i'll be back at the place i'm staying in for 6pm because the cockatoos and moutain parrots pass by. I watched them yesterday, hundreds of birds flying past, they like wet bread i've heard, so i'll see if i can tempt them closer.

Australia

G'day all!

After a few days of flying I have finally arrived in Oz. I flew over the Himalayas and the Great Barrier Reef and arrived in Cairns yesterday. Booked into a 4* hotel for a couple of days (because why not, truefully the idea of backpackers involved lots of insects)
I've been for a wonder around the town (picture this...a town in the middle of a tropical rainforest) it is more beautiful then i imagined, the plants and animals are amazing, tropical birds and flying foxes (big ass bats) are just outside and sqawk all night long. Haven't seen a snake or a spider yet! The flight was the worst thing, it doesn't help that my circulation is poor and my legs swell up. Hong kong was cool, great food!
The heat here is immense, but adjusting. Am going to chill today and sort things out, then tomorrow i'll be going more into the rainforest via skyline and train. Then maybe the GBR before heading to Townsville.
It's so nice here, really relaxing and chilled out and of course amazingly gorgeous.
Will keep you all posted. See you in three weeks! x